Hoi An to bustle with New Year’s activities

The ancient city of Hoi An in Quang Nam Province is ready to welcome visitors again with an interesting programme to celebrate New Year 2021.

A Bai Choi singing performance in Hoi An
A Bai Choi singing performance in Hoi An

The city’s authorities are hosting a photo and video making contest entitled “Hoi An - where I love’ to encourage residents and visitors to share their sentiments and lovely moments in the beautiful city. The contest will receive submissions from December 2020 until February 2021.

Also, during this period, a stage programme honouring the art of 'Bai Choi' singing - a popular folklore singing in the central and south-central regions of Vietnam - will be held in the city’s centre every Saturday evening to mark the 3rd anniversary of the artform’s addition to the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in December 2017.

Under the New Year programme, Nguyen Phuc Chu street will be filled with booths introducing Hoi An’s superb cuisine and local staples.

The highlight of the programme is a gala night entitled ‘Hoi An greets New Year 2021’, which is scheduled at 8 pm on December 31 at An Hoi Sculpture Garden to entertain participants with many entertainment activities, art performances, and a countdown event.

A wide range of event will be held on the side-lines of the programme, including a lantern decorating contest, a rural market at Tan Thanh fishing village, and a competition on composing lyrics for Bai Choi singing.

A welcome ceremony for the first visitors to Hoi An will be held at Cau (Bridge) Temple at 9 am on January 1, 2021, as a way to show the hospitality of Hoi An people towards tourists to the city.

On the occasion, local travel businesses, restaurants and hotels in Hoi An will offer visitors with appealing discounts and promotions so that they can enjoy their stay in the city to the fullest.

The New Year programme marks the start of a vibrant return of Hoi An City’s tourism sector after a challenging year with full of difficulties caused by COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected to rejuvenate the local hospitality sector and make Hoi An a safe, friendly and attractive destination for visitors.